Retribution
by steelcrash
Summary: In the fight against the Covenant, Earth receives some unexpected, powerful allies who could change the tide of war. Transformers/Halo crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Retribution

Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own "Halo," "Transformers" or "Stargate-SG-1" or any of the characters. They belong to Microsoft, Bungie, 343 Studios, Hasbro, Takara and MGM.

3. . .2. . .1. . .The clamps holding the SOEIV (Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle) released, charges blew, accelerating the drop pod toward the planet's atmosphere. The human strapped inside kept an eye on the control panel-green across the board. So far. He offered up a silent prayer to the Gods that this jump would be his last.

Busted down to corporal, former SAS soldier Ian Graham thought about all that could go wrong this jump, hoping for the millionth time it would. He'd already paid his debt to humanity. No way home, and no home or anyone waiting at the end of this mission. At the time, joining the Helljumpers was a good idea.

Col. Mitchell was assigned to one of the battle groups. He wasn't allowed access to which ship. Maj. Lennox was in the UNSC Army, fighting the Covenant on the ground; Epps went AWOL and rumor had it he had joined the insurgents. Col. Carter was working for ONI and he knew they had their claws in Dr. Jackson, which was why he hadn't heard from him in months.

Closing his eyes as the pod dropped through the atmosphere, Graham began his internal countdown, praying he wouldn't live to see the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Retribution

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own "Halo," "Transformers" or "Stargate-SG-1" or any of the characters. They belong to Microsoft, Bungie, 343 Studios, Hasbro, Takara and MGM.

The meteor streaking in-system went unnoticed. Too much going on, too many ships and chatter to notice a small body making occasional course corrections as it headed toward Earth. However, the meteor wasn't a meteor. The being disguised as a meteor monitored communications on several bandwidths at once, keeping tabs on the situation he was heading for-a war zone. Knowing this did not deter him from his task. He looked forward to it. Not so strange considering the months of inactivity, locked in his protoform, hurtling toward a backwater organic planet. But his anticipation of combat was behavior unbecoming an Autobot.

If he was able, the Autobot, designation Hot Rod, would've snorted at that notion, so often pointed out by his immediate superior, Ultra Magnus. He frequently butted heads with his unit commander. Hot Rod's present situation was no exception. Magnus wouldn't listen to anything he had to say about the situation on Earth before kicking him off the Xantium, only said he'd pass along his recommendations when he had a chance. It didn't matter what was happening on Earth, according to Magnus. Not when Hot Rod had his duty.

His orders were clear-find Bumblebee, lay low and wait for the arrival of the others. Orders be damned. He had other plans, and nothing involving looking for the missing Bumblebee. Like finding the Allspark. That's what Optimus Prime got for sending a scout in a warrior's place.

Hot Rod pushed it from his mind as he neared Earth's atmosphere, shutting down all but the most necessary of systems, preparing for his descent.

88888

The pod hit the ground, Graham counted to three, waiting for the door charges to blow. They didn't, so he kicked the door until it gave, wrenched it open, grabbed his gear and ran for cover. He ducked as needler rounds flew over his head, exploding behind him, knocking him face first into the drop pod in front of him. He stood, stunned, trying to shake it off, getting his bearings, firing at anything that moved that wasn't human.

A small pack of Grunts ran at him, swarming, knocking him down. Graham swung his SMG, catching one in the jaw, knocking off its face mask. It dropped away. Pulling his knife, he stabbed another under the chin, killing it. Now able to stand, he slashed and swung until the Grunts were either dead, dying or on the run.

He stopped for a few seconds, listening to the chatter over the comm channel, waiting to hear the voice of GySgt. Ellis, his commanding officer. No luck. And for the moment, no hostiles on his motion tracker. Graham re-loaded his SMG, checked his pack, setting off toward the installation he was supposed to protect.

6 hours later

Graham ducked behind a burnt-out truck, quickly surveying the area in front of him before giving the all-clear to the other two surviving members of his unit. He moved out from cover, Bristol and Sanchez following him out. Nothing but friendlies on his motion tracker as he stepped out onto the bridge spanning Black Canyon. He stopped, staring down at the Colorado River below, the moon glinting off Hoover Dam in the distance. Almost there.


	3. Chapter 3

Retribution

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own "Halo," "Transformers" or "Stargate-SG-1" or any of the characters. They belong to Microsoft, Bungie, 343 Studios, Hasbro, Takara and MGM.

Graham checked his rope, nodded at Sanchez and Bristol, who were harnessed in similar fashion. Graham dropped, rappelling down, grunting as he hit the ground. He waited for his companions, freed himself, checked his gear and started for the road leading up to the dam. Not far to go now. The dam was less than 2,000 feet from the bridge. He started walking, going over the intel he'd been given. The dam's hydroelectric plant was intact. Automated now, and still providing power to several small settlements nearby as well as augmenting the power provided to the larger cities in the region.

More concerning, however, was a recent burst of unknown energy emanating from the area near the bridge. The signal pulse attracted attracted the Covenant. What it was, the Office of Naval Intelligence did not know. That he was assigned to investigate was not a coincidence. Graham knew what it could be, but it was just one possibility. Maybe it was a piece of Forerunner or Ancient technology. It couldn't be. . .not the Allspark. He suspected strings were pulled, and that was why he was at the dam, not deployed elsewhere on the frontlines against the Covenant.

Dr. Jackson had explained about parallel universes and how they did, or didn't work. But it was just too much to hope that it was the Allspark. Graham didn't want to think about it either way. He just wanted to do his job and get the hell out. Running around the empty dam was a waste of time. Even if the burst of energy had come from the Allspark, it didn't mean a damn thing. It could take Cybertronians years to get to Earth.

88888

Hot Rod came down a few of miles from the location of the structure called Hoover Dam, near one of the settlements. Luckily, he was near a human casino. The lot outside was full of vehicles. . .he scanned the area for a suitable Earth mode, settling on the one that didn't look like the others. A search on the planet's information network showed the vehicle was a 1965 Ford Mustang GT Fastback, Poppy Red. Brightly colored, quite valuable, and likely to get noticed. Hot Rod grinned as he scanned the car and transformed, taking off, leaving a cloud of dust behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Retribution

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own "Halo," "Transformers" or "Stargate-SG-1" or any of the characters. They belong to Microsoft, Bungie, 343 Studios, Hasbro, Takara and MGM.

Human colony Erebus

Robert Epps surveyed the terrain below him. All clear. Motioning to his companions, he made his way down slope. Exploring sites for a new settlement was hard work, and he was ready to stop for the day. The rest of his men caught up with him, and began making camp. Knowing they could start without him, Epps went on a bit further. The terrain opened up into a valley below, more mountains beyond. They would have to make the decision in the morning to turn back or keep going. A few sites were promising, but the Home Council would make the final choice.

He was fine with that. Erebus was outside UNSC-controlled space, away from the war, the chaos and the killing. The planet had its problems, but it was home. And his skills were needed. He was appreciated for who he was and what he could do, not his rank, what he drove, or any of the things that once mattered back in his old life. He had the chance to make a difference, and he was grateful for it. Epps missed his friends, but he missed the fighting even less. They were welcome to it.

88888

Water. . .if they could just make it down the damn cliff to the water, they would be in the clear. Could Brutes swim? Graham wondered as he ran, not sparing his companions a backward glance, trying not to trip over dead Elites as he went. He could hear the Brutes coming behind them, and stopped running when he heard something heavy hit the ground behind him. Graham turned around. Seven Brutes, including a Chieftan and several jackals, shields lighting up the night.

Then chaos as the Covenant attacked. Bristol was dead before he hit the ground; Sanchez lasted a few seconds more, getting off a few shots before one of the Brutes picked him up, ripping him in half. Graham was farthest down the slope, which bought him some time, but not much. He emptied a clip into the nearest jackal, bringing down its shield, drew his pistol with his other hand, fired three shots into its head, dropping it as it charged. Another jackal came his way, a Brute trailing behind. The jackal fired, and Graham screamed as a bolt from its pistol hit him in the leg. He stayed on his feet, trying to get away, firing back at the enemy. . .Then out of the water. . .a quick fight and the Covenant was dead, Brutes and all. Graham hit his knees before his savior, watched water rush from the red and grey form before him. A Cybertronian. Autobot.

"I hope you don't mind the help," it said.


	5. Chapter 5

Retribution

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own "Halo," "Transformers" or "Stargate-SG-1" or any of the characters. They belong to Microsoft, Bungie, 343 Studios, Hasbro, Takara and MGM.

Graham stared up at the bot, unbelieving. He was dead. Had to be, he was hallucinating, and his mind hadn't quite realized yet he was dead.

"You need medical attention," the bot said.

"No, no, I'm fine," Graham said, struggling to his feet.

"I'm Hot Rod. You are?"

Of course. Out of all of them, it would be Hot Rod.

"Graham," he said, experiencing a strong sense of deja vu, but he shook it off. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for something," Hot Rod said. "But you're lucky I found you instead."

Graham snorted. Lucky, indeed, but he wasn't sure how he felt about that at the moment. "We need to leave," he said.

"In a minute," Hot Rod said. "I need to run a few scans."

"I can assure you, whatever you were looking for, it is no longer here," Graham said.

"How do you know?" Hot Rod said, but the human was already starting to walk away. He shook his head in exasperation, but caught up in a few short strides. "Those aliens that attacked you-what were they?"

"Covenant. They came looking for something. My unit was sent to investigate," Graham said.

"Yeah. So much for that," Hot Rod said. "You're the only one left."

"No thanks to you," Graham said. "The Covenant was distracted from their attack on this planet long enough to send a ship to investigate an energy pulse emanating from this area. Whatever it was has either stopped, or is now in the hands of the Covenant. Either way, we need to get out of here."

Hot Rod shuttered his optics, venting air in a sigh. The Allspark was gone. Great. Not only had he disobeyed orders, he'd failed to accomplish his own objective. But at least he could help this human. He owed him that much.

He transformed.

"Get in," Hot Rod said.

Graham got in the driver's seat, popped off his helmet.

"I know what you were looking for, and even though it's not here, I can help you find something just as valuable to your cause," Graham said.

"What's this gonna cost me?" Hot Rod asked.

88888

Dr. Daniel Jackson tried ignoring the alarms going off outside his lab, but he couldn't. So far, he hadn't received word if he was among the personnel being evacuated from the base. He was far from expendable as far as ONI was concerned. His work was important, and he'd told them what they wanted and they still hadn't come through on their part of the deal. His superiors knew the location of the two stargates on Earth, but whether or not the gates had been unearthed was unknown. What he hadn't told anyone from ONI was most of the history of the Ancients on Earth, or anything else for that matter.

He shut down his screen, stretched, standing. Time to go get something to eat. He walked into the corridor, only to find Sam Carter coming his way.

She didn't smile, gave him no greeting.

"Get your things," she said.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked.

"You don't know about the Covenant attack taking place this minute?" Sam said.

"Uh, no," Daniel said. "I've been busy going through the archives, trying to put together the translation the spooks have been asking for. I figured something was going down, but not. . ."

"Something of this scale," Sam said. "They've found Earth. Doesn't that bother you?"

Daniel shrugged. "It's not like this is the first time we've been through something like this," he said.

"Daniel. . ." she said, finally getting through to her friend with her tone.

He frowned, but began picking up his more important belongings and shoving them into a pack. She helped, and within moments, they were on their way to a waiting Pelican.

"Where are we going?" Daniel asked.

"Someplace safe," Sam said, leaving it at that.


	6. Chapter 6

Retribution

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own "Halo," "Transformers" or "Stargate-SG-1" or any of the characters. They belong to Microsoft, Bungie, 343 Studios, Hasbro, Takara and MGM.

Just to be flying again was amazing. Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell didn't care it was a transport; a Pelican was just fine. He was doing a job that needed doing, and he was glad to do it. Not that there were many survivors to pick up, but there were some. He was flying pickup for any UNSC personnel in the area. His orders were to find any stragglers and get them to safety. ONI was pulling up stakes at the Groom Lake facility and he was supposed to head over and help with the evacuation once he checked for survivors from an ODST drop. He was picking up one trooper's transponder, but it was moving away from his location. Fast.

"Trooper, this is UNSC Pelican Tango Alpha Niner Three, do you read?"

And over the radio came a familiar voice.

"Mitchell?"

He frowned.

"Graham?"

"Is this a secure channel?"

"Give me a sec," Mitchell said. "It is now. What's up?"

He was breaking protocol, but didn't care.

"You're tracking my transponder, correct?"

"Yeah," Mitchell said.

"Are you by yourself?"

"Looking for your unit, actually," Mitchell said. "Hang tight. I can be at your location in about 30 minutes."

A half-hour turned into more than an hour. Graham was beginning to think something happened, but he was more than relieved when Mitchell radioed, saying he'd reach him in five minutes. The Pelican landed, and Mitchell disembarked, battle rifle in hand.

Graham was standing in front of a rock formation, helmet off, hair mussed and sticking in all directions, face smeared with sweat, tears and blood.

"I have something to show you. Something. . .important," Graham said.

"Make it fast," Mitchell said. "I've gotta get back to my battle group. You know what's going on don't you?"

"Coventant attacking Earth? I know. Not high on my list of priorities right now. I told you this is important," Graham said. "Come out."

Hot Rod stepped around the rock formation, out into the open.

"Son of a bitch," Mitchell said, jaw dropping. "Which one are you?"

"My name is Hot Rod," he said. "You're not surprised?"

"Only a few of us here would know what you are," Graham said. "I can't explain now, but Mitchell, we've got to get out of here. "I made a deal with him, but you're going to have to come with us."

"Can you fit in the hold?" Mitchell asked.

"If I crouch down," Hot Rod said.

"If you can reconfigure to something a little less inconspicuous, we can fly you wherever you want to go," Mitchell said. A Warthog would be easy, but there weren't any close. "Revert back to your protoform and I think you'll fit. We've got to get going."

88888

Daniel stared at the information on his tablet. With Earth under attack, no safe havens were left. He wondered where they were going, and what constituted "safe." Sam believed in the work ONI was doing, but he had his doubts. They were being used, and there was no way out.

He sighed, going back to his data. The Ancients, the first evolution of humans in the Milky Way Galaxy, had found a way to leave, paving the way for the spread of Origin, and later humanity's fall in war against the Forerunners. The Ancients didn't have to face the Flood, and were free to evolve and spread. A way out existed, but the UNSC refused to utilize it, letting billions die.

ONI said the stargates were a liability-if the Covenant found out about their existence, the war was over. At the moment, it looked as if humanity had already lost without the revelation of that knowledge. Earth was going to fall, and nothing could stop it.


End file.
